Upper Sûre
In the Luxembourg part of the Upper Sûre catchment area, we conducted interviews and workshops to take a systemic view of local challenges and develop fields of action to improve the condition of the watercourse.
This work was carried out in close cooperation with the river partnership "Gewässervertrag Obersauer" (supported by the Öewersauer Nature Park) and through dialogue with other regional stakeholders, such as the agricultural cooperation LAKU, the drinking water supplier SEBES, and local municipalities.
The area
The nature park is Luxembourg’s main water region, with almost 70% of households across the country receiving at least part of their drinking water from the local 3.8 km² reservoir. The reservoir is located in the hilly and wooded landscape of the Ardennes, an area used for agriculture and tourism. As a coordination platform, the nature park also manages the "vum Séi" label, which markets regional foodstuffs, cosmetics, and textiles. Five municipalities with 13,700 inhabitants form part of the 15,400-hectare nature park area: Boulaide, Esch-Sauer, the reservoir community, Winseler, and Wiltz. In addition to these, Goesdorf, Wahl, and Rambrouch are member municipalities of the Obersauer water agreement. Almost two-thirds of the reservoir’s catchment area lies within Belgium.
Water and nature
Due to its diverse and rich ecosystems, the entire Upper Sûre basin was one of the first wetlands in the world to be awarded Ramsar protected area status in 2004. Since 2017, the natural habitats and endangered plant and animal species have also been protected by Natura 2000, a European network of habitat and bird protection zones that covers large parts of the area.
Drinking water protection
In early July 2019, the Ministry of the Environment presented a draft law for the introduction of new drinking water protection zones, revised following a public consultation in autumn 2018. The goal of these new protection zones is to improve the water quality of the reservoir, which often suffers from high nitrate and phosphate levels, depending on the season and weather, and is frequently affected by blue-green algae in the summer. This results in high drinking water treatment costs and leads to bans on all types of water sports. For years, stakeholders in the nature park, including the water contract, as well as farmers and water suppliers within the Landwirtschaftlech Kooperatioun Uewersauer (LAKU), have been working to improve these conditions. While the new drinking water protection zones will impose certain restrictions, they will also offer new funding opportunities for agriculture, municipalities, and tourism.
Research and project activities
As part of a dissertation, a case study was conducted on governance processes related to the designation of the new drinking water protection zones (see Part III of the case studies). It analyses the factors that have facilitated or hindered cooperation and learning processes among actors in water management, environmental protection, agriculture, and regional development.
The case study is based on interviews and a workshop with stakeholders. One of the central fields of action identified was the creation of closer links between farms and consumers to develop larger markets for more environmentally friendly regional products (see also workshop report). In addition, the dissertation offers several recommendations on what actors in politics and practice can do to enhance action and learning processes (see summary in German).
Project leader: Kristina Hondrila, University of Luxembourg
Upper Sûre Nature Park
Photographer: Guy Krier
Workshop reports
Summary of workshop and evening event (13-14 February 2019): Fields of action and topics in the Upper Sûre region
Annex 1: Interrelationships and fields of action (influence diagrams and timelines)
Upper Sûre catchment area
Source: Copyright SEBES
Water, nature and agriculture around the Obersauer
Presentations for download:
Water and nature conservation in the Upper Sûre region (Bruno Alves, MECDD, 13 February 2019)
Presentation of the Upper Sûre water contract and the Landwirtschaftlech Kooperatioun Uewersauer (LAKU) (Frank Richarz, Öewersauer Nature Park, 13 February 2019)
